Mexico City GP: Verstappen wins – Antonelli seals word title!

Kimi Antonelli was crowned Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion in Mexico City on Sunday, securing the title with third place as Max Verstappen won ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

With neither Hamilton nor George Russell winning, Antonelli had done enough to secure the crown. The 20-year-old nevertheless delivered a composed drive, passing Charles Leclerc in the closing stages.

Verstappen made the decisive strategic move before resisting Hamilton to claim his third win of the season, and third in four races.

• Mexico City Grand Prix - Race results

Leclerc gets away with it

Hamilton had started from pole but was immediately under attack from Leclerc into Turn 2. Leclerc cut across the grass in the next sequence to emerge ahead. Hamilton lost momentum and Verstappen seized the opportunity to move into second.

“I got pushed off by my own team-mate,” Hamilton complained, while Verstappen also wanted Leclerc to surrender the position. The Ferrari driver received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, a decision that satisfied neither rival.

“He’s got clean air, he doesn’t have to manage like the rest of us,” Hamilton observed, as Leclerc quickly opened a five-second cushion over Verstappen. The Dutchman was the only frontrunner on mediums rather than softs; Hamilton trailed, ahead of the Mercedes and McLaren pair.

Russell’s race was compromised almost immediately. A poor getaway dropped him from second to sixth, and he then made contact with Isack Hadjar, sending the second Red Bull off track. The Mercedes driver was given a 10-second penalty. Oscar Piastri climbed from 12th to seventh.

Verstappen turns the race around

The first and, as it initially appeared, only round of pitstops began on lap 28. Leclerc switched to mediums, while Verstappen took on softs. Leclerc’s five-second penalty helped Verstappen emerge ahead and take the lead.

“We basically need one of your magic Mexico stints,” race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told him. Hamilton pitted a lap later, leaving Antonelli, Russell and Lando Norris temporarily at the front.

Antonelli enjoyed a spell in clear air, although Mercedes had no obvious strategic route to challenging for the win. He stayed out until lap 44, surrendering the hope of a lucky safety car.

As it turned out, the interruption arrived almost immediately. Valtteri Bottas hit the wall at Turn 1 after a left-front suspension failure, bringing out the safety car before the race was red-flagged for barrier repairs. Bottas was checked at the medical centre and released without injury.

After a delay of almost 40 minutes, the field returned for a restart, with Verstappen ahead of Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris, Russell and Piastri. All had soft tyres.

Hamilton pushes, Antonelli makes his move

Hamilton launched superbly on lap 47, sweeping past Leclerc into second. Leclerc locked up into Turn 1 as Verstappen held firm through the opening sector.

Antonelli, meanwhile, was in no mood to wait. Keen to secure his place on the Foro Sol podium, he passed Leclerc for third on lap 48. Leclerc’s lock-up had left him with a flat spot, and he was soon under pressure from Norris for fourth.

The race was interrupted again when Arvid Lindblad crashed out of seventh after tangling with Piastri. The safety car bunched the field, giving Hamilton another chance when racing resumed on lap 65.

Hamilton pressed hard, but Verstappen kept him at bay to take the chequered flag. The Ferrari driver had to settle for second.

Antonelli crossed the line in third, and the emotion of the moment was plain as he celebrated his first world championship. At 20, he became the youngest champion in F1 history, beating Sebastian Vettel’s previous record by three years.

Leclerc held on to fourth ahead of Norris, Russell and Piastri. Franco Colapinto finished eighth as the leading driver outside the top teams, followed by Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly, who completed the points-paying positions.

Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto also retired, while Oliver Bearman’s race ended with suspension damage after contact with Nico Hulkenberg at Turn 4 during the restart.

Aston Martin’s miserable afternoon was over after only seven laps, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both forced to retire because of Honda power unit problems.

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